Ore-concentrator.



No. 993,995 PATENTED JULY 21, 1998.

. G.H. DAVIDSON.

ORE CONCBNTRATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED PEB. 3, 1908.

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A TTOHNE Y S No. 893,985. PATENTED JULY 2'1, 1908.

G. H. DAVIDSON. y

ORE CONCENTRATOR. APPLIUATION'HLBD Empa, 190s* z sHzETssHmT z.

. mmnmmu I Byywr ATTOHNEYS- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

GILBERT HENRY DAVIDSON, OF MORENGI, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

Application filed February 3, 1908.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT HENRY DAVID- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Morenci, in the county of Graham and Territory of Arizona, have invented a new and Improved Ore-Concentrator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to concentrators in which the material carried on an endless traveling apron is subjected to a stream of water for separating the concentrates and tailings.-

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved ore concentrator, in which the material carried on an endless traveling apron is subjected intermittently to sheets of water, to allow the concentrates to move forward in a sheet undisturbed, to permit the concentrates to pass the impact line of the water undisturbed, the concentrates being washed forward by the water, and the latter being free to flow back smoothly, to produce an effective washing of the onward moving material, and hence the very fine Vmaterial is not disturbed or washed away with the tailings, thus insuring a complete saving of th concentrates.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improvement, parts being in section 5 Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the improvement, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

The material to be concentrated is distributed by the distributer A, onto the endless apron or belt B, traveling forward in the direction of the arrow a', and under a transversely-extending water trough C, arranged for intermittently discharging its contents onto the material carried forward on the apron or belt B. The trough O normally stands in the water-receiving position shown in the drawings, and tilts periodically forwardly and downwardly, to discharge the water in the form of a transverse sheet onto the material and in the direction in which the material travels with the apron B (see dotted lines in Fig. 2). Now during the time the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Serial No. 414,021.

trough C is in the iilling position mentioned, a portion of the concentrates on the apron B is carried forward practically undisturbed on the apron B, to inally pass beyond the transverse line of discharge or impact of the water on the concentrates, and hence such concentrates which have passed the said transverse line are washed forward on the apron B at the next discharge of the water from the trough C. The water after its discharge onto the rearwardly and downwardly inclined apron B, gently flows down the apron in the inverse direction in which the apron is traveling, so that the water effectively acts on the material to concentrate the heavier particles on the apron and to wash the tailings down the apron and over the lower end thereof to a tailing chute. The concentrates are carried by the apron over the driven apron roller D, to finally drop into the receiver E, the lower run of the apron passing through a wash box F for cleaning the apron.

In order to periodically or intermittently i tilt the trough O for the purpose above described, the following arrangement is made: The trough C is.approximately V-shape, and its rear side is attached to a block G, provided at its ends with trunnions G journaled in brackets H, attached to the water supply box or reservoir I, supplied with water by a suitable water supply J, as indicated in Fig. 1. The water box I is supported from the frame of the machine in front of the material distributer A, and the front side of the said water box I is provided with forwardly and downwardly extending overflow chutes I', discharging into the trough C, to fill the same with water from the water box I. To the block G of the trough C is secured a forwardly-extending arm K, connected at L by a link L with a counterbalancing lever N, pivoted at N on a bracket O attached to a suitable support O carried on top of the water box I. On the counterbalancing lever N is adjustably held a weight P by a set screw P, to permit of adjusting the weight P on the lever N, so as to cause the lever N to be over-balanced at the time a desired amount of water has passed into the trough C. In order to allow minute adjustment of the counterbalancing device, the lever N is provided with a row of apertures l 2, either one of which can be engaged by the pivot pin N', and the link L is similarly provided with a row of apertures L2, either one of which is adapted to be engaged by the pivot pin L.

Now when the machine is running-and the material is distributed by the distributer A on the apron B, and the latter travels forward in the direction of the arrow a, and water in flowing from the water boX I into the trough C finally lills the same and overbalances the lever N, then the trough C tilts forwardly and downwardly (see dotted lines in Fig. 2), and the water contained in the trough C is discharged in a transverse sheet onto the material carried forward on the apron or belt B and in the direction in which the apron is traveling. As previously stated, concentrates in front of the line of discharge of the water onto the apron, are washed forward while the water in flowing down the apron washes the material contained thereon, it being understood that after the water is discharged from the apron B, the trough C immediately tilts back to its normal position by the action ofthe counterbalancing lever N. When this takes place, the trough C is refilled with water from the Water box I, and during this time a portion of the concentrates on the apron B is carried forward beyond the line of contact, as previously mentioned.

It is not deemed necessary to describe or illustrate other detail mechanisms of the concentrating machine, such as the driving gear for the apron or the detail construction of the distributer A, as such mechanisms may be of any approved construction, and my improvement may be readily applied to various makes of concentrating machines, and hence I do not limit myself to any particular construction or any special type of concentrating machines.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. An ore concentrator comprising an endless traveling apron inclined upward in the direction of its motion, means for spreading ore on the apron, and means for discharging a transverse sheet of water on to the belt at regular intervals in the direction of movement of the belt, and in frontof the spreading means.

2. An ore concentrator comprising an endless traveling apron inclined upward in the direction of its motion, and means for discharging water on the belt at regular intervals in the direction of movement of the belt.

3. An ore concentrator provided with means for carrying the material forward and upward, and. means for periodically dischargin a transverse sheet of water on the materia in the direction in which the material is traveling.

4. An ore concentrator provided with means for carrying the material forward and upward, means for spreading the material on the carrying means, and means for periodically discharging a transverse sheet of water on to the material in the direction of movement of the material.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to'this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GILBERT HENRY DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

R. E. MOORE, W. W. KEARNS. 

